OneShots of Awesomeness
by Angie J Trifid
Summary: A series of one-shots based on the pure awesomeness of Kung Fu Panda, including PoxTigress, CranexMei Ling and other pairings but mostly PoxTigress. Rated T because of the possibility of strong violence later on
1. Biggest Fan

**A/N: This was originally a single one-shot but then I came up with some more so I thought, what the heck. Anyway, title's based off a line from the first videogame…**

**This is set during the first film. It's probably a bit wrong in places but oh well, it suits the story**

**I just own the plot, by the way**

* * *

**Biggest Fan**

Po seriously couldn't believe his luck. He'd only wanted to see his heroes and now here he was, _living with them_! Chosen as the _Dragon Warrior_! How much more awesome could one day get?

Actually, he was experiencing that feeling you sometimes get which makes it seem like you're in a dream; like it's not happening in real life. And suddenly the panda couldn't be entirely sure if this really _was_ real; or if he was gonna wake up in a few hours. Everything seemed kinda dazed and swim-y.

He knew it was really happening but at the same time, it felt like it wasn't. It was – what was that word again? – surreal. He could barely believe it had all happened in the same day.

Somehow Po knew he had to make this last. To find some way of telling in the morning whether or not everything was really happening; or at least to break the ice between himself and his heroes. But something that would still be totally awesome to dream about, if everything was happening in a dream today.

Then, of course, there was only one thing to do. Geez, he was _sooo_ lucky he'd brought it with him. Po hurried to his room.

* * *

Shortly after Po's appauling attempt with the training dummy, the sounds of more training dummies being brutally slaughtered could be heard from within the training room.

Master Tigress was training hard, knocking the obstacle course to splinters. Soon there'd be nothing left to fight against but the other Kung Fu masters. And judging by the rage she was in, they didn't stand a chance. Crane whistled. "She's _really_ mad."

"I'm _not_ mad," Tigress grumbled. "I just want to make sure I beat that _stupid_ – _fat_ – _useless_ – _moron_!"

She punctuated every word by kicking or punching more training dummies to smithereens.

"Looks like you'll kill him if you try," Viper commented as another training dummy was kicked into oblivion.

"Good!" Tigress grunted, punching the last training dummy so hard it actually exploded.

"You killed them all," Crane said in a mock-upset voice. "They're all up in that training room in the sky now."

"Grow up, Crane," Tigress said, rolling her eyes, as she set up another wave of training dummies to beat.

For a while the Five talked as Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey watched Tigress slaughter wave after wave of training dummies with merciless brutality. Then, about five dead dummies into wave number eighteen (they thought it was eighteen. They'd lost count, Tigress was beating the dummies so quickly) they heard the door to the training room open.

"Woo! There you guys are!" Po exclaimed. "Seriously, I've been looking all over for you. I – woah, awesome!" Po had spotted Tigress slaughtering the training dummies. "An actual Kung Fu Master training! I never thought I'd get to see it with my own eyes!"

"Big deal," Tigress drawled sarcastically as she punched a training dummy and knocked its head off.

"Cut the kid a break, Ti. We were all like that once," Monkey said.

Tigress increased the viciousness of her attacks on the dummies. "_Don't – ever – call – me – that – AGAIN!_"

She sent a dummy flying and it landed in tiny pieces at Monkey's feet. The other four warriors – and Po – looked from the dummy to Tigress with surprise and awe. Tigress smirked to herself, fairly certain that they'd got the message. Then she turned back to causing carnage.

"Hey, y'know, we might _need_ those!" Crane said as Tigress destroyed another dummy. He shrank back a bit when she turned around but instead of turning on him, Tigress turned to the rolling snakes in the training area and started destroying the swinging clubs that came at her.

"You're going to destroy the training room if you're not careful," Viper teased.

"Good," Tigress muttered.

"Maybe you should take a break," Monkey suggested.

"Yeah," Mantis said. "Try some meditation, or some acupuncture."

"I don't have to," Tigress insisted. "I'll manage just fine."

"Tigress."

Shifu's voice ran out with authority through the training hall.

"Go meditate."

Tigress nodded, jumped onto the floor, bowed to Master Shifu and walked out. Stupid panda… he was ruining everything! She glared at him as she walked past… he backed off, petrified.

"She totally hates me, doesn't she?" Po asked as Tigress walked out. He knew it wasn't a dream now. In his dreams, Tigress was Po's best friend.

But it still felt all swim-y, like a dream.

The rest of the Five – who were rather annoyed at Po (how could someone like _him_ possibly be the Dragon Warrior?) – suddenly felt sympathetic at his crestfallen face. They suddenly took pity on him.

"No way Po, of course she doesn't," Viper said. "Tigress is just a grumpy person."

"Yeah," Mantis agreed. "She really wanted to be the Dragon Warrior. Like, more than the rest of us."

"Actually I'm pretty sure Master Oogway was pointing at her before Po almost fell on her," Crane muttered.

"Woah…" Po gasped, suddenly back to his usual fanboy self. "Master Tigress – the Dragon Warrior? Oh, that would be totally _awesome_! But…" the sad face returned. "she's not… that's my fault, I guess…"

"Hmm…" Mantis tried not to say anything. His didn't trust what words might come out of his mouth.

"What's that in your hand?" Monkey asked Po, trying to change the subject.

"Huh?" Po looked around. "Oh! It's like, er… it's like, it's one of my favourite posters and I was wondering if you guys could, like, yannow, sign it…"

It was a good few minutes before the Masters stopped laughing. Much as Po's expression made them feel bad, and despite the fact that at one point they would've probably said something along the same lines, it was such a silly request that they really couldn't help it.

"Why would you want that?" Viper asked, after she'd caught her breath.

"Yeah, I mean, you live here now," Crane agreed. "You're gonna see us every day."

"I know, I know," Po said. "I'm just a really big fan and I can't believe this is actually happening, I never expected –"

"Say no more, man," Mantis said. "We've all been there."

The four agreed to sign the poster and, for the briefest moment, they were united by the strangest idea, the strangest feeling… that of being a fanboy.

After all, Viper exclaimed defensively, girls can fanboy too. Just the same as guys can fan_girl_.

Not that anyone else was too amused with the fangirl part of this defence.

But still, Po's fanboy presence was somewhat overbearing, and the four Masters breathed a welcome sigh of relief when he rushed off to find Tigress and ask her to sign the poster. They would quickly learn to put up with Po's fanboy ways, for the most part.

* * *

Po found Master Tigress meditating under a big, really old-looking peach tree. He did not realise it until later, but this tree was sacred. It had been planted by Master Oogway a thousand years ago at least, when he had first come to China.

"Master Tigress! Master Tigress!" he yelled.

Tigress, who did not like being distracted from her meditation at the best of times, growled. "What?" she demanded. Her voice was cold and hostile – a little more so than she'd intended, but close enough to still have the effect she was going for. Po stopped in his tracks, leaning against the peach tree and panting.

"I just… wanted… to ask if… you could… sign a… poster for me," Po said, slowly but surely catching his breath. "The others… did already but… I wanted you to… sign it 'specially."

Tigress smirked, feeling almost smug. "Surely the great _Dragon Warrior_ isn't giving up already?" she drawled.

"Eh? No, I just… the others already all signed it, I just wanted, you know… for you to sign it, cuz you're so insanely awesome!" Po had pretty much caught his breath again by now.

Tigress frowned. "What?"

"Yannow, cuz you're so awesome! You're, like, my favourite! I mean, seriously, I'm your biggest fan!" Po blurted out, completely unable to restrain his inner fanboy. He saw Tigress raise an eyebrow at this.

There was a long, painfully silent pause while she thought. Not only had this idiot ruined her chances at becoming the Dragon Warrior, but he had as good as admitted that he was just a fan. It just made the whole situation worse, not to mention more awkward… geez, this guy was supposed to be the _Dragon Warrior_ and he was asking for her _autograph_!

At last, she sighed heavily, took the poster from Po, signed it quickly then thrust it back at him and turned away again, trying once more to meditate.

Po ran back to the palace, the signed poster clutched tightly to his chest. Dream or not, this day had been completely _awesome_!


	2. Rose

**A/N: This idea came to me cuz me and my family went out for curry. It was really awesome (sign of a good curry is that it makes you sweat) and the customer service was great.**

**So I thought this up cuz the waiters randomly give every female a rose at the end of their meal**

**Also, I just pretty much own the plot**

**Anon: Good job spotting the first two points, I didn't spot them myself. But REALLY well done with the last point, it's what I was going for almost word-for-word. Anyway, I'm glad you liked it**

* * *

**Rose**

A teenaged Tigress was in the training hall, pounding away at the wooden dummies. She was pretty pleased with herself; she'd already beaten last week's record – these were averages over the whole week – even if she was still a while away from her personal best.

The door to the training hall slid open and Tigress' ear twitched toward the sound, but she ignored it. She still had a mark on her shoulder from when she got distracted two weeks ago.

"Congratulations, Tigress," Master Shifu said, once the young tiger had successfully beaten this level of the training course. "You are rapidly improving."

"Thank you Master," Tigress said, bowing; knowing that this was the highest level of praise it was possible to receive from the man who had adopted her; the highest level of affection she had ever received and expected _to_ ever receive. She was about to proceed to the next part of the training course when Master Shifu spoke again.

"Tigress, I will have to ask you to stop your training," he said. "I need you to go into the Valley and run an errand for me."

Tigress, who at this time was fourteen, had been into the Valley itself a few times on errands to Master Shifu. Normally it was to collect items from others or to buy foodstuffs. But today would be different.

"Master Crane is getting a cold and we want to stop it early on," Master Shifu explained. "I need you to go to the noodle shop in the Valley and bring back some noodle soup for him. I trust you will not let me down," he added, placing a few gold coins in Tigress' hand.

She didn't know Crane that well, Tigress reflected, as she began to make her way down the stone staircase between the Jade Palace and the Valley of Peace, pulling up the hood on a large cloak which basically concealed her from view. She knew he was older than her but had been unable to contain a surge of fanboyish excitement upon his arrival at the Jade Palace. She knew he was a Kung Fu master, like she was training to be. And she knew, now, that he had a cold. It was especially obvious now because at the Jade Palace, they stuck to a strict diet and routine unless they were ill, severely injured or having a day off – all of which were rare occurrences.

The noodle shop was fairly busy so Tigress chose a table in the corner to wait until the crowd died down. She wondered for a moment if Master Shifu would send someone out to get soup for her if she got sick… maybe. But she was tough; she didn't get sick.

It'd be nice to know someone cared about her enough to do that, though.

* * *

If he was honest with himself, Po was pretty bored. Well, yeah, he had his work and his Kung Fu daydreams, but today was just dragging _on_ and _on_ and _on_. He only felt a little relieved when his dad let him take a break during the lunchtime rush ("Don't worry son, I can handle it – you look tired, go take a break!") and ended up sitting at one of the tables in the corner, not noticing at first who he was sitting opposite.

Not until the person he was sitting opposite sneezed. _That_ caused him to look around.

Whoever it was, they were in a really long cloak with the hood up, hiding their face. All he could see was three pairs of long, white whiskers, twitching in the slight breeze. He figured it was either someone very short, or someone his age… maybe a bit older.

"Will you stop that?" the person demanded. Judging by their voice, they were indeed around his age… and a girl. "I don't like it when people stare at me. It makes me feel uncomfortable."

"S-sorry," Po said, averting his eyes to the table somewhat awkwardly. "But, y'know, people are gonna stare if you go around wearing a big thick cloak like that."

There was a short pause. Then: "Maybe I _like_ wearing big thick cloaks."

"Well sure, that's okay, but not in this weather. It's boiling! Are you okay wearing that today?"

Another pause. "I'll be fine. I'm… trained to deal with worse conditions."

"Really? What sort of training?"

There was a longer pause now, and the person under the cloak sounded hesitant to say it. "I am in training to be a Kung Fu master."

Po felt his eyes widen. He was talking to a Kung Fu master-in-training? Days surely didn't get more awesome than that! "Woah! _Awesome_! I _love_ Kung Fu! But my dad has me working at the noodle shop all the time," he added disappointedly. "I just don't think he gets it."

"If you want to talk about father problems," the cloaked person opposite Po said, sympathy present in her voice, "I was adopted by a Kung Fu master."

"Really?" Po asked, his curiosity levels spiking. "But how's that so bad? I mean, that would be totally awesome, right?"

The girl in the cloak gave a short laugh. "I suppose it _could_ be – if I'd known my true parents. To even know a parental figure would be – ah, _totally awesome_ – but no: he does not treat me as a daughter."

Po gasped. This girl had a right to have a father figure in her life, didn't she? A parent? That was her right, surely? "That's awful. I mean – sure, my dad's a bit too crazy about noodles, but he's still my dad, yannow what I mean? Like, he still cheers me up and tells me he's proud of me and everything!"

He heard the girl give a sad sigh. "Mine doesn't."

Po's eyes widened once more, this time in horror and sympathy. "So, wait – your dad never, like, tells you he's proud of you? But surely he cares… I mean, come _on_, the guy _adopted_ you! He's gotta give you some _affection_ some time, right?"

"No."

It was a simple, but very conclusive answer. Po knew straight away that this branch of the conversation was over.

"So, um… why're you here? I mean, like, at the noodle shop?"

There was a short pause and Po swore the girl still seemed a little upset over their previous conversation. Then she answered, "Master Crane is coming down with a cold. I was sent here to fetch some hot soup for him. But I have no wish to get caught up in the crowds."

_Hot soup?_ Po thought. _In __**this**__ weather?_

"Oh," he said out loud. "Well… I'll be back in a minute."

He hurried off, feeling like the _least_ he could do for this girl was to make some noodle soup. Besides, she'd be bringing it to _Master Crane_! The very _idea_ that Master Crane would be eating something _he'd_ prepared was… there weren't words awesome enough to describe it.

Po tried to stay out of his dad's way while they both bustled around the kitchen making soup. His dad didn't mind: he always liked the extra company. He asked Po about why he was in such a hurry to make the soup and Po explained about the girl in the cloak in the corner of the restaurant.

"You know, Po," his father said, "if you want to cheer this girl up, you should maybe do something nice for her."

"Like what?" Po asked.

"Look in the back. I'll finish off this soup for you."

Po did as his dad said: he went through the back door of the shop. He didn't really get it. There wasn't actually that much in the back, except for a couple of crates from today's delivery that still needed unpacking, and some paper (his dad was thinking about getting a couple of windows put in) and in the corner there was the rosebush they cut roses off on Valentines Day, but –

_Oh. I get it._

_No affection, huh?_

_Dad's right, that __**should**__ cheer her up._

Po pulled a rose off the bush and curled one of the smaller pieces of paper into a cone shape around the stem. He knew they wouldn't need that tiny bit of paper – they had loads already.

He walked back into the shop to find that his dad had, indeed, finished up making the noodle soup for him.

* * *

That panda boy was right, Tigress thought. She was _sweltering_ under the cloak. But she always wore it down to the village because otherwise people would not only stare at her: they would stare and point and _whisper_. She couldn't stand it when they did that' it reminded her of –

"Sorry it took so long."

The panda boy was back. He set down a bowl of noodle soup in front of her, in one of the takeaway bowls. It smelled delicious, but she was determined to stick to her diet. No matter how difficult it got.

"Thank you," she said. She had already figured out that this boy must be the son of the noodle shop's owner. She placed the money for the soup on the table, picked up the bowl and began to leave.

"Hang on, wait!" the boy exclaimed. She stopped but actually, she just wanted to get back to the Jade Palace so she could take this infernal cloak off.

"This is for you," the panda boy told her, holding out a rose, the stem wrapped in a small sheet of paper.

Tigress nearly smiled at the gesture. In all honesty, it was the most affectionate thing anybody had done for her in as far back as she could remember. She accepted the gift with another "Thank you", then turned back around and walked away.

The rose would later sit alone in a small vase on the floor of her room and when it showed the tiniest hint of beginning to wilt, she would draw a quick sketch of it on the paper it had come with, to serve as a reminder of the one small bit of affection she had been shown.

After a few days the rose had died and the entire incident had been long forgotten, much like a dream or a childhood memory.

Until, that is, Tigress walked into her room one night after a full day of training on the first Valentine's Day since Po's arrival at the Jade Palace, and found every available surface literally _covered_ in rose petals.

* * *

**A/N: I'm not sure if rosebushes actually grew in ancient China, but I'm pretty sure Po and Mr Ping are awesome enough to figure it out**


	3. Bet

**A/N: This one happened while walking the dog. We were joined by one of her dog friends and I generally hung with the dogs instead of my dad and the other dog's owner. I also had the theme song for **_**Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness**_** (now you see what I did there?) stuck in my head at the same time**

**Yeah, I just own the plot**

**Darthmasterbane: That's okay, I'm glad you like it though**

**Simba593: Thanks, I'm pleased you're enjoying it!**

**Ericfrey: That's a good point but I'm not sure of their actual ages so my timeline would be that Crane only recently became a Master… that sentence made no sense but I think that's the general idea I've got across**

**Aaron: That's an interesting idea; I've thought about it a couple of times, actually**

**Israelle ParadiseIsis Hypnosis: Thanks! :D**

**TheBlazingK: Okay!**

* * *

**Bet**

It wasn't that Po _minded_ going out on missions. Especially the awesome ones like this had been; ones where they all got to fight bad guys with their total awesomeness. No, he was okay with that.

It was _walking back_ that was the problem.

See, even though Po's fitness levels were slowly – _very_ slowly – increasing, he was still, well…

He was still Po.

Which, of course, meant that travelling on foot was _not_ one of his strong points, even if he _could_ almost make it up three flights of stairs without throwing up on the second flight now.

That wasn't the only problem, either, because it just so happened that today had featured a rather energetic battle; and the weather was very hot and humid, despite it having rained recently. So of course, not only were they all tired, but they were also (well, okay, _they_ actually meant _Po_) sweating buckets. Not to mention (and this one was actually true for the other warriors, as well) it was becoming extremely difficult just to put one foot in front of the other – although this wording was slightly different in Viper's case.

"I give up," Po said at last, as they reached a shallow stream and knelt down to drink – or, in Po's case, collapsed. "I'll never make it! What are we gonna do?"

"Don't be stupid, Po," Tigress said. "You were all for travelling on foot when we left the Jade Palace."

"Yeah – but only cuz there's no doubt in my mind that you actually _could_ kick my butt all the way over to that village in one go!"

"Ladies, please, there's no need to argue," Viper said. "We'll be fine. We just picked a bad day to travel on foot."

"Or to travel at _all_," Crane added, having given up flying a while ago.

"How long 'til we get back?" Po asked, flopping heavily down on the ground beside the stream.

Tigress looked up. Judging by the angle of the sun, it seemed to be about two or three in the afternoon. "I _would_ say a couple of hours," she answered, "but now you're with us, we probably won't get back before sunset. We might even have to sleep outside tonight and wait until tomorrow."

The other masters groaned in annoyance at her attitude towards Po.

"Isn't that just a _little_ bit harsh?" Mantis asked, hopping onto Tigress' shoulder from Monkey's. "I mean, cut the guy some slack! Geez, he's been trying."

Tigress snorted. "As if _you're_ one to talk about being harsh to others, Mantis. And before you try and retaliate, just think what anything you might say will do for your argument."

Mantis immediately shut the mouth he'd opened to argue his case.

"I do _not_ slow you guys down!" Po exclaimed defensively.

Tigress gave an odd cough that sounded a lot like the word "Stairs".

There was a short pause before Po retaliated, "Okay, so maybe I have a little, _tiny_ problem with stairs. But that doesn't mean I actually slow you guys down! I bet I could get back to the Jade Palace faster than you!"

Tigress actually _smirked_. That could mean one of three things.

One – something, somewhere, was exploding.

Two – she had just kicked some bad guy where he _really_ didn't wanna be kicked. Or…

Three – Po had just said something really dumb.

This time around, it was obviously option number three (although they shouldn't rule out the possibility of the first option).

"You really think you can beat _me_ to the Jade Palace?" she asked, standing up and swaggering over to him. "Panda, you can't beat anyone at anything besides _eating_. What makes you think you could beat me in a race?"

"Because I don't push myself all the time!" Po shot back.

Tigress' smirk widened dangerously now. "No, you're right there. You don't push yourself. But here's where you're wrong: you don't push yourself all the time, because you don't push yourself _at all_."

"Well in all honesty, I'm surprised you haven't made yourself sick yet, Tigress!" Po said, a little too loud, as he climbed to his feet. "I don't care if you push yourself all the time but you push yourself _too_ hard! It's not fair on you!"

Tigress' smirk faltered for a second. "What do you care if I push myself like I do?" she asked quietly.

"I –" Po began. But then he changed his mind and shut his mouth again.

Leaning forward, egging him on, Tigress actually looked interested in what Po had to say. "You…?"

Po cleared his throat. "I bet I could get back to the Jade Palace before you!"

There was an awkward, almost terrifying silence in which Po, Viper, Crane, Mantis and Monkey stared at Tigress, trying to read her expression, which was completely blank. It was absolutely impossible to tell whether Po had said the wrong thing or not.

"Fine," Tigress said at last. "What are we betting?"

"My feet hurt," Po hinted.

"Alright," Tigress sighed. "We'll bet a foot rub. See you there."

She ran off.

"Wow," Crane said. "Looks like she wants to win. What do you think, Po?"

"I think I'm gonna go catch her up!" Po said, also running off.

* * *

When Tigress opened her eyes, she was lying in her bed. Her entire body felt like lead weights. She groaned slightly as she tried to move.

"I told you that you push yourself too hard," Po's voice said from beside her. "You passed out about a mile away from the Palace."

"Damn… so I lost the bet."

"I had to carry you the rest of the way."

"And I lost the bet."

"Shifu's actually kinda worried."

"_Did I lose the bet?_" Tigress growled dangerously.

"Well… sorta."

"Sorta?" Tigress had to repeat the answer to make sure she'd heard right. When Po nodded, she asked, "How does that work? Does it not count if I pass out, or something?"

"That's not it," Po answered. "I carried you up the stairs and then I got the others to carry you in the doorway. I mean, you looked so tired I thought you losing the bet wouldn't exactly be the best option."

Tigress was almost tempted to smile. "Wise choice indeed, panda."

* * *

**A/N: That's it for that chapter! If you can, feel free to suggest some ideas or words for these one-shots, it really helps! Thanks!**


	4. Petals

**A/N: Please tell me you don't think I really am allowed to own the awesomeness that is **_**Kung Fu Panda**_**…**

**Shen's Follower: That's an interesting idea. Unfortunately I haven't gotten to see either of those but I'll try sometime… and as for the other one… Johnny Cash is AWESOME! That had to be one of the best ideas I've ever been given!**

**Fantasyfreak23: Thanks!**

**The pizza man: Haha, yeah, I seem to be doing the same thing as the movies… don't worry, I'll do that soon.**

**Guest: Thanks you!**

**LittleMissPanda84: Thankies! I'm glad you're enjoying it!**

**This idea spawned from watching the episode **_**Po Fans Out**_** and a thing I had originally put in the story **_**Rose**_** but decided to miss out because it went better here.**

* * *

**Petals**

Tigress was perhaps about fourteen or fifteen when Master Shifu let her go on her first mission without him.

"She will be fine," Master Oogway insisted, as he and Shifu watched Tigress leave with the rest of the Five. "After all, she is strong of will, and the others will look after her."

"I never said she wouldn't be fine, Master," Shifu said.

"Then why are you worried about her?"

* * *

"Guys!" Po exclaimed to the rest of the Tigress fan club. "Wouldn't it be _awesome_ if Tigress actually turned up at _our clubhouse_!?"

"Sure," said one of the kids. "But it'll never happen."

"It could!" Po answered. "I met her once!"

"Pfft, _right_…"

"In one of your daydreams, maybe."

"No!" Po protested. "I really did! She came to the noodle shop to order noodles for Master Crane!"

"Whatever, man."

The three Club members were having a sleepover at the club house, conveniently placed opposite Po's father's noodle shop. It was getting dark and kinda rain-y and there was a pretty strong wind picking up so they were closing the paper windows when they heard a knock at the door.

"I'll get it!" one of the kids, a pig, said. He opened the door to a figure maybe a bit shorter than Po, wearing a long, thick black cloak, revealing three pairs of long, white whiskers, from which droplets of rainwater dripper softly.

"Dude!" Po hissed to the other boy – a rabbit. "That's Tigress! Oh man, I told you this was gonna be an awesome sleepover!"

"Po, you're imagining things," the boy hissed back.

"No way, I'd recognise that cloak anywhere! I have her freaking _action figure_, man! It's Tigress!"

"May I come in?" the figure asked, further adding to Po's excitement. Yeah – that was her voice! It was _totally_ Tigress!

"Okay," the pig said, standing aside. "Come on in."

"Thank you," the figure said, stepping inside. "I was heading home but I won't make it in this storm."

"Tigress!" Po called out to her. "It's me! Po, from the noodle shop, d'you remember?"

The figure's head snapped round. "I don't know your name."

"You'll have to put up with Po, I'm afraid," the rabbit yawned. "He's a bit Kung Fu crazy. Actually, we – _woah_!"

The figure, who of course Po had already figured out was Tigress, had removed the hood from her cloak to reveal the face of… well, of Tigress. Po grinned smugly as recognition flashed across Tigress' face as she turned her eyes to the panda once again.

"Yes," she muttered thoughtfully. "The boy from the noodle shop. I remember you now. We were never properly introduced."

"I'm Po," Po said happily. "Welcome to the… well, the head quarters of your fan club."

Tigress looked around, a surprised look upon her face at finding herself surrounded by so many pictures, action figures, etc. of her.

"Awesome," she smirked. Po grinned dazedly and sighed like a teenage girl. The other fan club members were still somewhat in shock.

"We were having a sleepover here tonight," Po said. "Boy, did you get lucky! This is gonna be awesome!"

* * *

Po woke up the next morning in the fan club headquarters before everyone else; sat up and looked around. He'd had the most insanely _awesome_ dream last night! Tigress and come to the –

"Don't move," a voice by his shoulder complained. "I'm trying to sleep."

The second Po looked at his shoulder to check what the noise was he had to jam his fist into his own mouth to keep himself from squealing like a teenage girl in a shopping mall who had just been given all the money in China and told they didn't want it.

It was – Gods, was it _possible_? – Tigress. Asleep. On his shoulder.

* * *

When he woke up again, she was gone. He couldn't tell if she really _had_ slept on his shoulder or not. He looked around from his lying-down position but just saw the other two slowly beginning to wake up. So he decided to get up

When Po moved, what he hoped was a sign that her presence had been there dropped onto his mattress. Long-dead; dried-up and shrivelled but still recognisable.

A rose petal.

Po grinned and pocketed the petal. "Awesome."


	5. Numbers Wolf

**A/N: Please tell me you don't think I really am allowed to own the awesomeness that is **_**Kung Fu Panda**_**…**

**Shen's Follower: Thanks, and I'll have a look into those ideas but I can't make any promises right now because I've got a ton of ideas to write out**

**Israelle ParadiseIsis Hypnosis: Taa muchly**

**Miss Uncreative: No problem, and thanks! I'm glad you like them! And I love your Kung Fu Panda stories, especially Here In Our Moments! I feel really honoured now!**

**This is about the Wolf Boss because I just got back from my holiday, where I got to stroke a wolf**

* * *

**Numbers Wolf**

Shen was the Alpha. _He_ was in charge. It was _his_ job to think.

Even if I didn't like the things he was thinking.

I was just the Numbers wolf. I _obeyed_ the one in charge. It was my job to _follow_.

Even if I didn't like what I was doing.

But as Shen orders me to kill my brothers and fellows, something feel wrong about the situation. No Alpha would have their own pack killed unless the pros of the action's impact on the pack far outweighed the cons.

_Maybe you shouldn't be a Numbers wolf_, I hear something telling me. _Remember how the others treat you. To them you're a leader._

So I have no other choice. Shen will kill me for it, but I'm not obeying him anymore.

* * *

**A/N: Nice short fic, sorry guys, I couldn't think up anything better. I just wanted some wolf-based stuff the Wolf Boss might've been thinking at the time. A Numbers wolf is a real thing, I met one, she was called Peaches**


	6. Speak Up

**A/N: Please tell me you don't think I really am allowed to own the awesomeness that is **_**Kung Fu Panda**_**…**

**Shen's Follower: Ah, now I get it. That sounds a lot more interesting than before. And thanks. Yeah, I didn't know about numbers wolves either until before I met Peaches**

**Guest: Thanks – and I plan to!**

**Israelle ParadiseIsis Hypnosis: Thank you**

**MasterAli: Thanks! And your username is epic**

**Miss Uncreative: Yeah, I agree**

**Christ's Disciple: Thanks. I'm trying to put in more Po x Tigress but it's tricky because I always try to write as if what I'm writing could actually happen in the actual movie. Bad excuse is bad, I know, I'm just an idiot**

**Okay, since I've been kinda like DreamWorks with the Po x Tigress and not written a lot, this one's gonna have more than I usually write in, but not all directly, which is sad**

* * *

**Speak Up**

"Master Shifu?"

Shifu's ears flattened in annoyance as the sound of the panda's voice broke through his meditation. But judging by the sound of Po's voice, it was important. Somewhat.

"What is it?" Shifu demanded. Po stepped tentatively into the room and sat down opposite the Grandmaster. Then he just stared at the floor. Shifu raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

"It's about Tigress," Po mumbled, tugging at a loose thread on his shorts. Shifu groaned.

"Panda, I've told you this before: if Tigress has been treating you poorly because of something you've said or done, it's up to you to fix it, not me."

"No! I – it's not that…" Po trailed off, still staring at the floor. He looked a bit flustered, like he might be blushing. Shifu was only half-sure where this was going.

"What is it then?"

"I…" Po muttered something under his breath, or perhaps didn't speak aloud at all, because even Shifu's heightened senses couldn't hear it.

"What?"

"I like her," Po grumbled reluctantly. Shifu blinked.

"And what does that have to do with anything, panda?" he sighed. Po's reasoning was beyond him… beyond _anyone_, in truth.

"Well, Shifu, I was gonna ask if – with your permission – I could – you know – court her…"

"Why me?"

"Well, you're like her dad, right? I mean, you adopted her…"

The word _dad_ struck something within Shifu: that had never happened since he had achieved Inner Peace. Po had managed to hit a wrong chord – in fact, the hit far farther off than usual. Should Shifu explain to Po? Probably.

"I am no father, panda. You should not be asking me."

Po pulled a face. "What're you talking about?"

"I have never been a father to Tigress," Shifu replied. "I was afraid one of us would get hurt. I never told Tigress I was proud of her."

Po remembered when he was still a kid and had accidentally met Tigress – she had said almost exactly the same thing. It didn't sound possible, but it was probably even more sad coming from Shifu. Admitting to never being treated like a child was one thing, but 'fessing up to being a lousy dad was completely different.

After several minutes of searching for the right thing to say, Po finally went with a tentative, "Did you… ever talk to her about it?"

Shifu did not answer, so Po continued: "I mean, it's not too late to patch things up, y'know? You're both still alive and you're not exactly old, so you can always just try _talking_ to Tigress and try fixing it from there."

Much as Shifu hated to admit it, the panda had a point. "Good plan, panda," Shifu said, smiling. "I think I _will_ go do that."

Shifu got up to leave. He should have thought of what would be a decent time to speak to Tigress, but he decided that now was as good a time as any. On his way out the doorway, he heard Po call, "So after you talk to her, do I have your permission to –"

"Yes, panda," Shifu grumbled pointedly, his ears flattening against his head. He would speak to Tigress, but perhaps he should go into the training room and hit something, first.

* * *

"Tigress?"

She had been training. In honesty, she didn't much begrudge Shifu for interrupting her. Tigress was coming toward the end of her training session and was eager to put off the inevitable meeting with Po, who always seemed to know when her training sessions ended and she was planning to meditate. She knew he wanted to be friendly, but it was becoming annoying, especially when it had been going on for two weeks now.

Tigress bowed in respect. Shifu said, "Will you please walk with me to the sacred peach tree of heavenly wisdom?"

Tigress blinked. Whatever she had been expecting, it was not an invitation to walk with Shifu. "Of course."

* * *

Po didn't listen in to what words were exchanged between Tigress and Master Shifu. Instead he watched from a distance as they spoke solemnly, cried, embraced, and finally said something funny and began to laugh. At this point he decided it must be safe to go talk to them.

Actually, this was kinda the whole point of asking Shifu for permission to "court" Tigress – Crane had recommended using the word "court" – since he was planning to try anyways. Po could tell Shifu felt bad about not treating Tigress as a daughter when she was a kid, and maybe Shifu could get Tigress to smile. It would be awesome if she smiled more often. She had a nice smile.

_Focus, Po!_

The heavy panda had been aiming for a dramatic approach, walking over and smiling and stuff, but in actuality – well, it sucked. He tripped over his own feet and landed next to Tigress, flat on his face. He was lucky she'd stuck out her arm quick enough, to stop his momentum, or he might have bounced off the cliff.

"Hey guys," Po said, hoping to make a smooth recovery. It didn't work like that, but he carried on going anyway. "How's it going?"

"Very well, thank you, panda," Shifu said. He stood up. "If you will please excuse me, I am going to finish my meditation session." He shot a less-than-amused glance at Po.

"Did you put Shifu up to this?" Tigress asked. Po couldn't tell what emotion was in her voice, but it sounded like there was some good – happy? – emotion in there.

"Me? Pfft, no! Well, maybe a little…" Po looked ad Tigress out the corner of his eye. She gave him that totally awesome smile which he adored. If that was the right word.

"Thanks, Po," Tigress said. Yeah, she was definitely happy. And then – and then she hugged him! Po was being hugged by his _favourite_ Kung Fu Master ever!

Did he get a total fanboy-crush-brain-overload and pass out?

Yeah.

Was it totally worth it?

Heck yeah!


	7. Noodle

**A/N: Sorry guys, **_**Kung Fu Panda**_** is too awesome for me to own proper rights to**

**Shen's General: Awesome, you got an account! I like your username better than the original**

**EDWARDNYGMA23: interesting idea but unfortunately it doesn't really match the sort of writing I like to do**

**Simba593: Thanks so much! I'll try and do more soon, promise!**

**T02E: Thank you. Honestly, chapter six was very different from the original idea I had for it. I don't do too well with proper romance stories, either…**

**Tigress137: Thank you! It's always good to know people like my work. And to know that I have fans**

**Puckabrinaluver: Thanks so much!**

**This idea came from a shot in the end credits of the first KFP movie. I think it's really funny for some reason…**

**Also, I've got a couple more one-shot ideas in my mind so hopefully there'll be somewhat less of a wait next time**

* * *

**Noodle**

"Tigress!" Po exclaimed. It had been a week since Tai Lung's defeat and this was the third night since then in which Po had served his Secret Ingredient Noodle Soup. It was also the first of these nights in which Tigress had actually showed up for dinner.

"Not skipping out on dinner tonight, huh?" asked Monkey. Tigress didn't answer. She simply sat down at the table.

Master Shifu, who had begun dining with his students after Po defeated Tai Lung, was admittedly shocked to see Tigress. The others had been breaking their dietary regimes of late, yes, but Tigress was so stern and disciplined that she seemed rather out-of-place here.

"No," she said simply, after a very awkward silence, "not tonight."

Shifu cleared his throat. "It is good to see you join us, Tigress."

"Thank you."

"So… you, uh, want some Noodle Soup too, Tigress?" Po asked.

Tigress nodded. It was the reason, after all, why she was here. Although she _did_ eat with the others, Tigress had recently been keeping up with her specified Kung Fu diet. The others, even Shifu, had broken their diets and allowed Po to cook for them; as the smell of them food had reached her on the previous nights on which he cooked, she had been tempted.

Everyone else was allowing all these changes to happen to them and tonight, Tigress decided, she would give change a try, too. She would relax and eat with her fellow Warriors in a far more relaxed environment than she was used to, and she would eat something other than tofu, and perhaps she would even allow herself to open up just a little.

Po slid several bowls of his famous Secret Ingredient Noodle Soup onto the table and Tigress watched as everyone around her – even Master Shifu, which surprised her a little – began to consume their food as though they were on the brink of starvation.

"You gonna eat that, Tigress?" Mantis asked, staring at her bowl with a longing that made her use her arm to shield it from him.

Suddenly a quip rose into her mind; dared her to open her mouth and say it, rather than hold her tongue, for a change. _First step: smart-assed comment,_ her brain told her, _second step: Secret Ingredient Noodle Soup._

And the Soup _did_ smell _good_…

"I prefer to _eat_ my food," she told Mantis, "rather than _inhale_ it."

There was a very pregnant pause in which everybody gathered around the table stared at Tigress in stunned silence. Feeling awkward, she decided to very pointedly eat a spoonful of the Soup.

Dang, it was good.

Po was the first, as soon as she had taken the first bite, to break the silence. She saw the look of realisation flash over his face and a second later, peels of his booming laughter filled the kitchen.

"That was great," he said, wiping a tear from his eye. "You rock, Master Tigress!"

He held his paw up for a high-five. Tigress surveyed him nervously, then went for it. Po whooped and the rest of the table stared.

"Wait," Mantis said. "You… made a joke?"

"What?" Tigress asked. "Did you think you were the only one who could come up with witty comments?"

"Uh…"

Tigress rolled her eyes. "Maybe Po was right. The lack of humour in the Jade Palace is remarkable."

Realising at last that she meant it, the others began to talk and joke immediately. Banter flew back and forth. Tigress even joined in, which successfully surprised her.

After _eating_, not _inhaling_, her own portion of Soup (and it was delicious), Tigress was going to excuse herself when Crane said, "Hey, Po, remember that great impression you did of Master Shifu?"

"The one with the bowl-ears?" Shifu asked, sounding thoroughly unamused.

"That's the one," Viper said.

"Oh, sure," Po laughed. "Yeah, do you think I really _could_ get ears like that if I worked hard enough?"

"I sincerely doubt it."

Silence fell as everyone turned toward the source of the stern voice: Tigress had plucked a noodle from the bottom of her soup bowl and was wearing it on her face in the same way Po had. The serious look on her face somehow made the sight hilarious.

"Your ears won't grow, Panda, unless you learn to listen," Tigress said in a falsely-deep voice that was ever-so-slightly uncomfortable on her throat. She continued, "Although you may also want to work on your personal hygiene."

"Aww, come _on_!" Po exclaimed, smiling. "Not you as well!"

"Don't stand so close; I can smell your breath," Tigress said in her Shifu-voice.

Surprisingly, Shifu was the first to laugh, and the last to stop.


	8. Peaceful

**A/N: Unfortunately this is just a fanfiction and I don't actually own **_**Kung Fu Panda**_

**Shen's General: Yeah, a little bit. Also, it makes you sound like you've got some authority. And hey, I can do that first request of yours now! I just want to get another one-shot or two out there before I do…**

**Tigress137: Thanks! It's a great scene! Glad I've somewhat done it justice**

**Simba593: Thank you**

**Purplehazer: I have to agree with you on that one, it's fun to write Tigress being more relaxed anyways**

**I have to admit that I think this is fairly awesome: this one-shot has a mini-backstory!**

**See, a couple of years ago I visited America (I live in Britain) and went to Busch Gardens, Orlando. In the tiger enclosure there's a small glass viewing-box-type-of-thing. Anyways, I got in the queue that formed for that and I was probably expecting to see a couple of tigers some distance away, probably with their backs to me. I got into the box and looked right – nothing. Looked left – WHAM! Only a couple of feet away from my face, this full-grown Bengal tiger, lying on his side with his face closest to the viewing-box-thing, was fast asleep. I could see all his whiskers and every hair on his face, and he looked so peaceful.**

**That's why I think of tigers when I think peace (or beauty). Corny, huh? But completely true, I swear**

**Also, on my computer there's a document with twenty mini KFP fanfics written to twenty different words. This started as one, under the title "Snooze". It originally took place during Legends of Awesomeness, after the episode "Chain Reaction", but I've decided to set it just after the second movie ends instead. The lines about Tigress on sedatives comes from another mini-fic-drabble-thing I did under the title "Slurred"**

* * *

**Peaceful**

When Po returned to the Jade Palace, Master Shifu called him over to the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. Together they sat there, eating peaches. For a while neither talked; both, perhaps, expecting the other to initiate conversation.

"Congratulations for finding your inner peace," Shifu said at last.

"Thanks," Po said. "I gotta admit, I was pretty scared out there. All you guys gave me a pretty big scare. How're the others doing?"

Shifu paused. Then he said: "Fine." But there was a nervous undertone to his voice.

"Oh, really?" Po asked, suspicious.

"The Five are being treated in the medical bay – mostly for minor injuries." It sounded like there was more Shifu wanted to say, but he wasn't letting on.

"What is it?" Po almost demanded.

Shifu's voice was very sober. "It's nothing to be too concerned about, Po. But Tigress took the full force of the weapon; _knowingly_, as well. Luckily the injuries are not as severe as we thought, but she has broken at least three ribs and may have a concussion."

"What? Master Shifu, there's gotta be some mistake! I mean, Tigress is freaking invincible!"

"Be that as it may, the medics have told me Tigress is lucky the weapon did not kill her upon impact."

"Master Shifu," Po said slowly, "you're concerned about Tigress, aren't you?"

Shifu glared out across the Valley. Then he sighed and said, "Of course I am, Po. I may be a poor excuse for a father, but I _did_ adopt Tigress. It is only natural to be concerned."

"Well, that sounds like a pretty decent excuse for a father to me. Can I go see her?"

"Go ahead. But she is heavily sedated and if she is awake, she may not recognise you."

"That's fine."

Po ran as fast as he could (preferably without falling over, although he _did_ stumble more than once) to the medical bay where Crane, Mantis, Monkey and Viper waited.

"Hello, Mistah Ping," Mantis said, in a creepy, slightly evil British accent. "We've been expecting you."

"Very funny," Po replied sarcastically.

Crane's injured wing had been bandaged and Monkey appeared to have a sprained wrist, but otherwise they had been cleaned up and told they were okay to leave.

"Tigress is asleep in there," Viper told Po carefully. "They've sedated her with catnip so she should be okay when she wakes up, but sometimes it sends her a little loopy."

"Yeah, she sounds drunk when she talks," Mantis complained. "I can never understand a word she says when they give her strong sedatives like this."

"You understood '_leave_', '_or_' and '_dead_' just fine last time," Monkey replied flatly.

By then, Po was already in the room. Master Tigress lay on a raised bed-structure, not just a typical mat. Po couldn't see the bandages around her torso for the bed-sheets, but he could see the bandage around her forehead and the dressings for some of the nastier cuts on her arms.

"Tigress…" he said quietly. A wave of guilt hit him. Tigress had gotten hit by the weapon trying to protect him. Why did heroes always have to be so brave like that?

But then something else hit him. This was the first time, Po realised, that he'd seen Tigress _asleep_. Sure, he'd seen her sleeping when they set up camp for the night on long missions, but she never really slept properly then like she did now. Then, she was always really tense and kinda jumpy, and she'd wake up at the slightest sound or movement.

Now, she was out cold, sure, but she was also sleeping properly. Not tense now; she was totally relaxed, her eyes closed and her jaw not tense. There was almost a kind of beautiful, perfect serenity to it.

It was something, Po decided, that he'd like to see more of if he could help it.

Though he should probably try and avoid sneaking into her room in the night to see her sleeping so peacefully.


	9. Greatness

**A/N: I don't own **_**Kung Fu Panda**_**, sadly… just these one-shot fanfics…**

**Purplehazer: Thanks, it was nice to write it**

**Tigress137: Thanks so much! It really means a lot to me! I gotta admit, I didn't expect to ever be able to get as close as I did to a tiger… but I wouldn't trade that for anything. And YAY, I HAVE A FAN! *activate Po-style freak-out* WOOOOOOOOOO!**

**TheBlazingK: Thanks! I'll try!**

**M4dG4rl: Thanks, I'll try not to leave the updates for too long**

**Puckabrinaluver: Thank you! I'm glad you like it!**

**SporadicDeviance: Thanks. That's an interesting request; I'll have to give it a go some time for sure**

**I only came up with this the other day and I can't remember how… something to do with watching the movie, I think**

**So yeah, this is sort of a fatherly-ish moment for Shifu I guess (it's a freaking miracle). It was fun to write but I wasn't completely sure how to end it so it might seem a bit rushed**

* * *

**Greatness**

The famed Kung Fu Master Shifu sat on the topmost step leading up to the Jade Palace, elbows on his knees and chin resting in the palms of his hands. He stared out over the Valley of Peace with the look you might expect to see on the face of a footballer who is so injured he can no longer play.

Grandmaster Oogway saw Shifu sitting here and approached.

"Are you not going to the orphanage today, Shifu?" Master Oogway asked. Shifu shook his head.

"I was called in to help Tigress learn how to control her strength. Her training is complete, and I… I have no more business there."

Oogway heard the catch in Shifu's voice, though. Though bitterly disappointed and naturally horrified that only last week Tai Lung had massacred the Valley of Peace, Shifu missed having someone to raise and train: Oogway could see it in every twitch of his ears or tiny movement of his face.

"You should adopt her," he said simply.

"I should what? Master Oogway, have you lost your mind? I adopted Tai Lung, and look how he turned out!"

"We must all learn from our mistakes," Oogway replied. "Go now. You can take her on as a student. I look forward to meeting her."

* * *

And so it was that Master Shifu found himself once again adopting a young cub whom he would train in the art of Kung Fu.

"Shifu?" Tigress asked. "What is the Jade Palace like?"

"That is a difficult question," Shifu answered. "It is very unlike the orphanage. There is a strict regime which, I suppose, you should be adjusted to – that is to say, you will not be forced to follow the entirety of it immediately, but piece by piece – and you will not be locked in your room at night. You will have belongings of your own and Master Oogway will help me to train you."

Tigress nodded. Shifu had already explained that she was being taken on as a student. "What is Master Oogway like?"

"He is wise, Tigress. He is wise and insightful."

Tigress nodded, not fully understanding the answer but understanding enough to be satisfied with it.

"Will he like me?"

Shifu studied Tigress carefully. She was still just a little girl, and had a great deal of strength, which she had only recently learned to control. Her fear of being disliked naturally would stem from being feared and called a monster at the orphanage.

"Of course he will," Shifu told her, causing her to beam. His heart ached just a little, because he knew (or perhaps just believed) he could not show Tigress any affection as he had with Tai Lung.

* * *

Master Oogway was waiting for them at the top of the steps.

"So, you are Tigress, our new student?" he asked. Tigress nodded, suddenly anxious to be accepted. Oogway smiled. "Are you looking forward to learning Kung Fu?"

"Yes."

"That is good to know. It is always good to have something to look forward to," Oogway told Tigress, speaking as though he was confiding in her a great secret. "It makes things much more bearable."

She smiled.

* * *

She frowned. Tigress sat curled up in the crevice created between two roots of the peach tree, looking out over the Valley of Peace. A thin mist hung in the air above the orange-glowing lights of the houses, decorating the indigo colours of the night like sequins. It was beautiful, but she didn't notice it. She shivered a little and hugged her knees to her chest.

"Is something the matter?" Master Oogway asked. Tigress jumped as he crouched next to her. When she didn't answer, he asked, "What happened?"

"I'm scared," she whispered. Oogway asked why, and she said, "I've never been away from the orphanage before. I don't want a whole new set of people to think I'm a monster here, too."

"They will not," Oogway said gently.

Her eyes turned to him. "How do you know?"

"Because a monster's heart holds darkness, child. Did you know that?"

"I think I heard it once," Tigress answered, sniffling.

"You were never a monster, and you never will be," Oogway said firmly. "The only people who will call you a monster are those who are scared of you. Do not forget that you are still very young: there are still many things for you to do and learn."

"Really?"

"Yes." Oogway smiled. "And I believe the things you will do, will be _great_ things."

Fondly, like a grandfather, Master Oogway embraced Tigress. It astounded her, paralysed her for a moment. Shifu had been unafraid of her strength, but Oogway was the first person to make proper contact with her in a long time. She didn't know if she could remember how long. For a moment, she hugged him back.

"It is getting late now," Oogway told her as he let her go. "Perhaps we should return to the Palace."

"Can I stay outside a bit longer?" Tigress asked. She wanted to look at the Valley for a while.

"As you wish. Do not neglect your sleep, young one."

* * *

"Master Oogway!"

Shifu seemed panic-stricken. The sun had long-since risen over the Valley, casting its golden dawn-light over the Jade Palace. Shifu, knowing Tigress was still young and figuring she must be tired from the journey to the Palace, had chosen to let Tigress sleep. But when he had gone to awaken her, she was not in her room.

"Master Oogway!" he called again, reaching the old turtle and skidding to a halt. "Tigress is gone! She's not in her room."

"Remain calm, Shifu," Oogway told his student soothingly. "I know where she will be."

Oogway was right, of course. Tigress had fallen asleep under the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom. She was curled against one of the larger roots. A patch of sunlight filtered through the leaves to gently graze and warm her face, dyeing the fur with a golden tint. She seemed untroubled.

"You see?" Oogway asked. "There was no need to worry."

"Perhaps this was a mistake," Shifu said quietly. "Master, what if I cannot raise her right? I don't want to make the same mistakes as I did with Tai Lung…"

"And you will not," Oogway said reassuringly. "I have watched Tigress, Shifu. I have seen her heart. There is only greatness there – and some fear, but that will go with time."

Reassured somewhat, Shifu reached out to smooth down a patch of fur on Tigress' cheek where it had been warmed by the sun.

_There is only greatness there._

This was okay, Shifu thought. He was unsure where he went wrong in raising Tai Lung, but he thought it was the open fatherliness. He would not make the same mistake as last time.

_Greatness._

This was okay, though. When Tigress was asleep, when she was dead to the world (temporarily, thank Gods), he could allow himself to feel pride towards her. To feel like a father towards her. He was already proud.

_Greatness._

Had Oogway ever used that word for Tai Lung? Shifu didn't know. But he had used it for Tigress. He was certain, now, that she would be something great. He was certain he would not be wrong this time.

Because Oogway had said it too.

Greatness.


End file.
